Wellington schools do best out of donations

2:24 pm on 20 January 2016

Families in the Wellington region are donating more per student to schools than families in any other part of New Zealand, Education Ministry figures indicate.

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On average, Wellington schools received $211.03 per student in 2014, compared to the national average of $147.75.

Taranaki, Whanganui and Manawatu had the next highest average, $178.89.

If other forms of fundraising are included, Wellington's figure is still highest, at $260.70 per student, but Auckland's average jumps to $245.06, followed by $221 per student in both Canterbury and the Hawke's Bay/Gisborne region.

The figures are for state and state-integrated schools.

The government said donations were voluntary and amount to less than 2 percent of its funding to schools.

The figures show schools received $108 million in donations in 2014, and a further $53.4m from other forms of fundraising.

Four schools received more than $2m each from donations - Epsom Girls Grammar School and Auckland Grammar, in Auckland, Hutt International Boys' School, in the Wellington region, and Lindisfarne College in Hastings.

Only four others made more than $1m - St Peter's College in Auckland's Epsom, Waikato Diocesan School For Girls, Tauranga's Bethlehem College and Havelock North in Woodford House.

The ministry's figures revealed the primary school with the highest donations in 2014 was Newlands Intermediate in Wellington, which received $436,333. It was followed by Muritai Primary School, in Wellington, with $352,668, and Remuera Primary School, in Auckland, with $343,974.

Donations per student by education region*